We are drawn to the things we need, so goes the gemstone lore. If courage and protection are required, reach for tiger’s eye. Tapping into calming feminine energies that also ignite your intuition can be accomplished with the blue marble beauty of rainbow moonstone. Emerald recently spoke to me from inside a homespun store full of dried herbs, astrological oils, jewellery, and occult books. I am with one of my sisters, her two boys, and the man who is driving us across the country to be with my family. As he and the owner talk about voodoo and movies, I listen to their male dialogue.
Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to be a man, to have lumps of flesh hanging outside the body. What do these bits feel like to them?
They seem connected to the self and an array of other spaces both empty in the case of just hanging there and fleshly in the case of self-love and other people’s bodies; always in and always out. The owner writes numbers in the little receipt book and repeatedly stops before the thick double line at the end of the page where the sum total plus HST will appear.
I peek at my sister through the storefront window to share an exaggerated, ‘They’re STILL at it’ look, but she’s busy with the boys who are growing bored. Instead of asking them to wrap it up, I edge closer to the counter and take out my debit card while throwing a smiling glance at my guy. He gets the hint and begins walking to the exit, still discussing movies. The transaction is completed and I leave with my emerald and other treasures and he with a sodalite, one of the stones of awakening.
The dusky green gem holds secrets, all gemstones do. Emerald is a stone of inspiration as well as patience that enhances unity, clairvoyance, and helps bring to the surface that which is unconsciously known. These qualities were essential during our long journey through the prairies, the Canadian shield, and the territory between us. They will continue to shape our emotional destiny and the depths to which we travel in our love and our loyalty to one another and ourselves.
Long live the summer road trip.
